Da A Fu – Great Good Fortune

Peter got me these figurines as a memento of 2015 Chinese Lunar New Year. These two figurines are so cute with their plump rosy cheeks and big almond eyes. They are also painted in bright colourful hues of red and blue. These little figures are of two chubby children, a boy and a girl.

These figurines come with their own legend called the Da a Fu, which means great good fortune.

Once upon a time, a couple of big fierce hungry green lions were preying on children in Wuxi, Jiangsu.

It was unfortunate that fighting heroes were rather scarce at that time. So the villagers’ only recourse was to pray to their deities for help and deliverance. Their prayers were eventually heard by the celestial Jade Emperor, who sent two spirits, who manifested in the form of a boy and a girl.

Through cunning, wit and skill they were able to vanquish the two lions much to the joy and relief of the village people.

Ever since, clay figurines were modeled as a homage and to show respect to the two children. Often the clay figurines are shown to hold the green lions in their arms.